Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Ch. du Jaunay Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie

France's Loire valley produces a wide variety of wines. This one hails from a region of the Nantais (in the faaaaaar West Loire), named for the Sèvre and Maine rivers. It's made from 100% Muscadet, also known as Melon de Bourgogne -- but has no relation to white Burgundy. However, Muscadet wines made in the "Sur Lie" can resemble good white Burgundy in texture: by resting and ageing the wine on the lees (spent yeast cells) the wine takes on a smooth, round body and a lovely depth of flavor. Additionally, by not filtering the wine before bottling, it retains more carbonic gas from fermentation giving the wine a certain liveliness and freshness (so says Mr. Stevenson, and I must agree).

Review: I love this wine. Dry, full bodied and creamy. Beautiful notes of grapefruits and pears. Mouthwatering acidity and minerality. Perfect balance by itself or with food.

Pairing: This would be great with seafood or something else relatively light. I had it with pasta and fresh summer squashes.

Bottom Line:Just perfect. And at about $12 a bottle, I think I'm going to go fetch me some more. I dig it.